The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-02-03
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
An EMPTY NEST.

And. oh, how fair were the budding trees!
For daley silver and daffodire gold
We're full Of the happy honey-bees.
'.And wonder where sing the art ye ar's birds7''
Then the old man quickly raised his head,
Though scarcely ne noted her musng words:
lie tore the nest from the swaying tree,
He hnng To the winds its moss and hay,
And said. when an empty nest you see,
Be sure that you throw 1t far away"
.sent ~h,Y'' rhe asked. with q borrowing face
:. ~ may mt he pretiy home abideg'
- rnt-., hc aI-a. red, s.taiil be place
u : Et.s tie .efm The slag will hide.
L., s.ar '.Ma- mir cEouEh il it way
l wa- tni I've, and merry with song:
But ssays lat are gone must not rpoi to-day,
Sar dead joys do the living joys wrong.
The maiden heard with a thoughtful face
Her frst falre love had go.. far away
Ard che thought. If my heart beco ne place
For anger and grief ard hate to stayY
Down. heart. with thy nd, forsaken hest!
Fling far thy reifsh and idle pain:
The love that lie ours il always the best:
And she went with smile 10 her work again.
Nary 4. Barr, in Hdrper's Magd.ine for Feb
ruafy
TOO OFTEN NEGLECTED MATTER.
Iho proper care Of farm wagons Is . much toe
often neglected matter. Carriages and farm
wagons might be made to last twice ~ long IL
only few moments were spent each week during
dry weather in tightening mp the bolts that hold
the wagon together. Ar rule, farmers give no
attention to this work, and only ind out that
bolt s loose when the mt is lost. or some portion
Of the woodwork breaks down. During every dry
season the woodwork Of most Of wagons shrink
enough to loosen the bolts. which II not frightened
will permit the frame Of the wagon to start In
the jointa, and thus rapidly wear Oh the tenant
and enlarge the mortisee. should the wagon hold
to. her until wet weather comes, the open joints
thus made will be filed with water and frightened !;
nut water havi, once got into the interior Of
the wood uncovered BY paint. 1t eoftens 1t, and
decay will begin, and when once begun, II will
be bnt \ short time before the frame Of the
wagon il beyond repair. But II few moments
had been spent in tightening the bolts vt the
right time, this would have been prevented.
The wheels Of wagon usually receive more
attention than the frame; but even these are oft
en- neglected, because when affected by dry
weather they cannot be repaired BY the farmer
himself: for when tire IL once l0osened 1t re-
quires black smith to tighten it, ~ this some
what costly, the farmer often neglects ii, hoping
each week that the weather will change and the
roads become wet enough TO tighten up the wheel.
and thus save the expense OF resetting the tires.
We have seen men try to economic by wetting
their wagon wheels when the tires become loose,
every time the wagon s used, thinking thus to
tighten them and save the expense OF reeetting
the tires. This IL all wrong. and far from econo-
my. When . tire gets loose IL ehould be at once
frightened, even though II should be known
that ii would rain the next day. In fact, wheel
with loose tire should always be kept from
tce Ia, tcfv % hain md fha SEA fnp
penetrstes where 1t soften the wood. ard
causes it not only to wear rapidly, but 70 decay.
Ii IL very impOr ant to keep " heel tight enough
to prevent water from getting into the mortises.
because the least decay opens the interior OF the
hub TO the weather. and will let in the water not
only every time the wagon in out in the rain,
but even in fair weather, 80 long, ~ the
water stands in any portion Of the road over
which the wagon 10 to pase. The farmer never
spends his money in repair of implements to
better advantage than when he gets loose tire
reeet.-4Nass. POpmdn.
CHAPTER ON ASHES.
The ashes Of wood and OF land plants OF every
kind are Of value for manure on every kind Of
soil which has peen reduced by cropping; bnt the
greatest benefit IL shown uponsssand and porous
soils. On these light soils crops Of every kind
but especially root crops and corn will be ben
Gifted by dressing Of wood ashes. Fruit trees
and fruit-bearing plants having a woody struc
ure. will be benefited by wood ashes. Thirty
to fifty bushels to the acre Of fresh ashes will be
q full dressing, and three or four times that
amount OF leached aches may be applied with
permanent success. The above statements are
de monstrated by experiments made by the
Michigan Agricultural College, by X. c. Kedzie,
Professor Of Chemistry, and from bulletin No.
Is recently sent ont by him, the following facts
have been condensed. The subjest Of the man.
nrial value Of ashes has for time been engag-
ing the minds Of farmers. ana they have inquired
mnch regarding it. In order to answer these ques
tons the college has cent out the bulletin re.
ferred to. Aches differ in composition accord
ing to the varie OF tree from which they are
made, and the part from which they are derived,
!. 4. the trunk or branches. II il the arh from
the whole tree. branches. bark ard AL. hat the
tarn er wants 20 Know about. Cash estimates
have been made from the analyri. OF ashes. iE
which potash has been valued al 5 nts pound,
',snl,b.c phasl nafic acid cents 4 pound, and
III. mix. -,1al atr ui lime ard mannesia. one
eighth 81 u {. III pound. b,cause there materi-
ais ~oud cost shose amounts il purchased
separately Vt whole sae prices in the market.
About ten pounds Of ash remain from the com
bustion Of cord OF hard wood, and but hall
that amount from cord OF soft wood. One
hundred pounds Of ash represent the mineral
matter Of IS bushels Of wheat. s. bushels OF corn,
u ton OF timothy hay. Eleven tons Of gOoee-
berries. grapes, blackberries, peaches, or apples
would respectively contain but 100 pounds
OF mineral.
This gives an idea Of the large amount OF farm
or orchard produce represented by q smal
am punt OF ash or mineral matter. Yet this small
amount OF ash IL necessary to the growth Of these
crops, and must be present IL the soil. II any
soil IL deficient in any OF the ash constituents Ol
has been impoverished by excessive cropping. the
restoration OF these materia In the form oi
wood ashes appears to be the natural and cafe
process.
The following ashes were experimental on
with the subjoned results.
Hardwood ashes.-Beech and hard maple used
Ninety-three per cent was found soluble In di
| lutte hydrochlorc acid, the potash constituting
l2L per cent. and phnsphoric acid per cent One
hundred pounds are worth 81 90
Leached ashes .-Procured from q tannery
Eighty-nue per cent, soluble in acid i.6 per cent
| and phosphOric acid 6.8 per cent. Value pc
| 100 pounds, SO cents.
Soft wood a-hes.-Obtained from sawmis ant
planning mill furnaces. Fifty per cent Of ask
| soluble in acid Potash II per cent and phos-
phoric acid per cent. Value per 100 pounds
| "a cents.
| Corn cob ashes seventy per cent soluble ii
acid. Potash As per cent; phosphoric acid ~
per cent Value per 100 pounds, $3.50.
Tannery Ash. Value per lou pounds, 22lsS
cent?.
The professor found that ashes OF soft and har.
coal are comparatively yaluelees. The grea
value OF aches from corn cobs H. compared will
/ those from hard and soft woods will be eurpris
to many, and is q very useful discovery, ss cob
70 usually go TO waste on the farm.
HOW TO GET POTATO CROP.
/ In order to have the best success In growinl
potatoes, and to secure healthy, vigorou
growth and crop free from rot, says Thorbur-
it is necessary to plant as early as the gronn,
can be got ready. Select rich coil and plan
in rows three feet apart and the sets one foot ii
the rows To kill the Young weeds, run ligh
steel toot harrow over the field lengthwiee o
the rows: this will allow the crop to get tn
start Of the weeds, besides breaking up all lnnp
and leyeling the ground for the cultivator. l
wood ashes and plaster can be procured SOW
| good dressing over the field after the potatoe,
are up. Ifs very early crop is desired it vii
be necessary to sprout the potatoes befor
planting. Cut the potatoes into pieces OF an
size desirable and place in . warm, ligh
| raom from fonr n ax Wpeka hpfnYe rennire,